Making Buying a Used Vehicle Pay

[Silverado12]

Originally Posted By: edwardh1
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
Cars are better built, they last so much longer.

Used to be a car was done at 100k....


I remember this when I was a kid. My grandfather always considered the car worn out when it got near 100,000 miles.



Yes and we should thanks the japanese for forcing Detroit into making better cars IMHO



The Americans always made good trucks and mid-fullsize cars. It's just small cars that were not so good. Even so, I still see a lot of Chevy Cavaliers on the road. They had a sensible, reliable design and were easy to work on.

 

[Gene K]

Originally Posted By: Silverado12
Originally Posted By: edwardh1
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
Cars are better built, they last so much longer.

Used to be a car was done at 100k....


I remember this when I was a kid. My grandfather always considered the car worn out when it got near 100,000 miles.



Yes and we should thanks the japanese for forcing Detroit into making better cars IMHO



The Americans always made good trucks and mid-fullsize cars. It's just small cars that were not so good. Even so, I still see a lot of Chevy Cavaliers on the road. They had a sensible, reliable design and were easy to work on.


My little sister's 2008 Pontiac Solstice has been pretty reliable except for one issue. It broke two shifter cables in the first 36 months. The newest design has been in the car for 5 years so hopefully that's fixed for good. Other than that just standard maintenance items.

 

[stephen9666]

I paid almost 50% less than new msrp for my 4-year-old Cruze in nice shape with pretty low miles.

Buying used can definitely pay if you're looking at models with steep depreciation curves. If you're looking at something that holds its value very well, it sometimes might be a better deal to buy new and keep it for a long time.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
I paid almost 50% less than new msrp for my 4-year-old Cruze in nice shape with pretty low miles.

Buying used can definitely pay if you're looking at models with steep depreciation curves. If you're looking at something that holds its value very well, it sometimes might be a better deal to buy new and keep it for a long time.


Exactly.

You have to make it pay by going after vehicles with large depreciation or by choosing a vehicle that's not currently in demand.

Late model loaded to the max 4x4 pickups or pricey sports cars have never been what I'd call a bargain when bought(late model) used.

Right now, something like a 1-3/yr old Chevy Cruise or Spark, or Mitsubishi Mirage can be had for 50-60% of it's original MSRP.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
Cars are better built, they last so much longer.

Used to be a car was done at 100k....


I remember this when I was a kid. My grandfather always considered the car worn out when it got near 100,000 miles.

When I was a kid, it was 60,000 miles.

 

[FutureDoc]

Actually, working off of a government contract, I can get a "discounted" Brand X truck for $1X,XXX and then sell it after a year for $20,000+ for some vehicles. This is mostly because the used market is strong enough and the manufacturer rebate is big enough that I can get a truck for free. EHI and some other entities are looking for agencies for me to access really high used markets. Because rates are low and there is a lot of folks in the 1-3yo used market, the prices are high.

Heck, I have sold my last two vehicles as much as I bought them for (or close to it). I had a NEW (CARS or Cash4Clunkers) 2009 Fit for $12,400 and traded it in for $11,600. Bought and sold my old Subaru for the exact same price (now I did have to do the timing belt, brakes and a few things so I sunk $500 into the repairs but I drove it for 3 years).

 

[andyd]

Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
Cars are better built, they last so much longer.

Used to be a car was done at 100k....


I remember this when I was a kid. My grandfather always considered the car worn out when it got near 100,000 miles.

When I was a kid, it was 60,000 miles.
people used to give me 56 Fords that were barely running in the Kennedy yrs Most were burning oil by 60k

 

[Gene K]

So bottom line an old man car (I resemble that remark) like a 4-year old Lexus LS460 for $33,000 or an appliance like a Nissan Versa if you want over 50% off.

Life's to short to drive an appliance and I refuse to be old.

PS Before you ask, I got the Enclave for my mother.

 

[ecotourist]

I bought a 3 year old BMW 528i in 2003 for 45% of the new cost. It even had one more year of factory warranty left. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

Problem is it's a really good car and I like it a lot. Some people consider the e39 BMWs the best sport sedan ever made. But (because of poor care and where it was driven before I bought it) it's developing some areas of surface rust - and other local e39s aren't rusting yet. I did fine financially but if I had bought a new one I could keep it a lot longer.

 

[ironman_gq]

You can find them if you shop at the right times. Bought a 2 year old 08 Silverado 2500HD diesel for about half what a new one was going for. I've since put 105,000mi on it and will probably put another 100k on it before I sell it. I look for trucks in the spring, people are offloading 4x4 vehicles when the snow melts and either getting cars or new trucks.

 

[mrsilv04]

One thing that I've found that can help.

Find the car on the dealer's lot, that the dealer doesn't know what to do with... but is too stubborn to take it to the auction.

The latest example for me is a Subaru Outback on the lot of the largest Chevy dealer in Illinois. The Subie was traded in on a Equinox LTZ, and the Chevy dealer was a little clueless on how to price it, since it had almost 80,000 miles on the odometer... so they went low.

I swooped in and snatched it up as soon as it left the detail shop. 80,000 miles is "just broke in" for a Subaru.

 

[exranger06]

I bought my Ranger when it was 1 year old. It had only 12k miles, which is pretty negligible. It was basically a brand new truck, except I got it for about $8k less than a brand new one.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
One thing that I've found that can help.

Find the car on the dealer's lot, that the dealer doesn't know what to do with... but is too stubborn to take it to the auction.


This is true.

I bought my used 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe from a GMC/Buick/Cadillac dealer this way. All it takes is some browsing and the right timing.

 

[Kira]

It was said above: ...{said of a dealer who took a car in in trade} "...but is too stubborn to take it to the auction.....dealer was a little clueless on how to price it..."

Are you kidding? Show me a clueless dealer please. The only ting they're stubborn with is the price.

 

[CKN]

Dealers are not clueless by any stretch. Yes, if you buy a Subaru or Hyundai form a Chevy dealer you will get a little better price (generally) than buying it form a Subaru or Hyundai store, but a "steal" is really an exception.

Also, it depends on the model-even a Chevy dealer knows a Subaru WRX is a hot commodity-expect no "deals" on that model.